Day 18 Check-In

Now that I've been doing the 30 Day Shred DVD for about 3 weeks I wanted to check in with everyone and let you know how it was going. And holy shit it is going. The first few days I felt really sore. Granted for the 2 weeks before starting it I was almost completely sedentary, but I play soccer and go running on a regular basis so I thought I was in better shape than I was. The DVD kicked my ass, big time. So many muscles hurt that first week, although mainly ones in my upper body. I will be the first person to admit that my upper body is extremely lacking in strength, so clearly this workout has been targeting an area that doesn't get a lot of attention from me (because really, in soccer do you need your arms?). I've talked to a few other people since then about doing the DVD and everyone agrees that you will be sore, everywhere. But I like to think of it like the SNL skit. "Clinique calls that burning, but we say that means it's working."

Now that I've passed through workout level one into level two I can definitely see a huge difference in my body, endurance, and strength. Whenever I lose weight I'm always amazed at how much by body changes. I exercise to try to be healthy. Being in shape for soccer is important for me, and so is keeping my cholesterol low and having a healthy heart. On my dad's side of the family people also tend to be obese and both of my grandmothers have type 2 diabetes. Considering my intense love of food I'd like to prevent that all from happening. So to me, having a good diet and exercise plan is about a healthy lifestyle, not being waif-like. But then I work out and fat disappears and I always think, "wow, I had fat that I needed to get rid of?" Considering I had already lost some weight last year due to a major shift in Nick and my's diet, I think it is a huge testament to this DVD that it still burned off what was left. My arm flab is about half of what it was, my legs are thinner, my butt is smaller, and my tummy pudge (you know that little bit that every woman has and HATES) is almost completely gone. That being said, I'm not sure if I've actually lost weight because I have not weighed myself and I know I am stronger (I can lift things more easily, my knees don't feel as strained with I am kneeling, and there's more oomf when I do things in soccer), so I may have gained some muscle weight. But the bottom line is I'm trimming down.

I'd like to also point out that Nick and I have been eating healthier as well. What's the point of doing a DVD to lose weight if you're not going to really try to lose weight? For me, this just means don't buy junkfood. No extra trips to The Counter and stay away from chocolate, cheese puffs, and cupcakes. I cheat every once in awhile, because I'm a human being, and I really do love food, but we've started buying more fruit and trail mix as snacks in addition to nut bread instead of potato bread.

And this DVD isn't just for women! Nick has been attempting to do the DVD as well and in the 10 days he's done it, he's seen results too (even I noticed them which NEVER happens because sometimes I am pretty oblivious). The first week we did it together every day (since then Nick has visited 5 different cities for work all over the country in the last 10 business days). Our schedules have been pretty opposite these days and we've barely had any time to spend together besides catching up on various Netflix things, so I know I really appreciated having some time with just the two of us. Granted we are sweating our assess off and grunting doing something a lot less pleasurable than that other thing couples like that involves sweating and grunting, but we do manage to have fun doing this too. If anything, we're united in our extreme hatred for Jillian telling us how tough the DVD is, how we should keep going, and how we're going to be better for it. Yes Jillian, we get it. We want to die and yet you are perky and happy pointing at us and laughing. Damn you.

At this point I'm on day 18 (in truth I should be further along, but I have cheated and skipped days. I do play 1 1/2 hours of soccer 2-3 times a week, and sometimes I am too sore game day or the day after to have another intense workout on my leg muscles. But I have done the DVD the morning of a game because I feel guilty about skipping and once that initial soreness from the first week wore off it hasn't affected my ability to play). Considering I just wanted to fit into my jeans again (which probably meant losing 2-3 pounds) and my whole body has slimmed down, I'm pretty happy with the results and kind of want to stop. I'm also super ADD and doing something for 30 days straight is extremely boring for me. Sometimes I day dream about what outfit I should wear, the things I need to get done, or how I'd much rather be outside running with Charlie to increase my endurance on the soccer field. Without Nick to do this DVD with, I'm losing my motivation pretty quickly. If I wasn't so obsessed with how strong I am getting, I think I might stop the DVD. But being strong is kind of a novelty for me so I've kept going.

While I may not be strong enough to carry a TV or move our coffee table for the carpet cleaners by myself, little things like lifting Charlie or a dining room chair is no longer hugely taxing. And like I said, that's a big deal for me. At one point in one of the workouts Jillian says something like, "when your body is stronger you notice that it translates to the rest of your life as well." As a student psychologist that always makes me stop and think about whether or not that's actually true...Maybe I am a little bit more confident in myself because I can lift a bowling ball more easily and my ankles don't give out as much as they used to when I run. So maybe I amend what I said earlier about Jillian. Jillian, I do still kind of want to smack that perky smile off your face, but thank you for making me stronger.

Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred

Back in 2008 when I was planning my wedding I was part of this really great website that had online forums where local girls could come together and post about their frustrations, concerns, ask questions, and talk about everything under the sun. Everyone had their own style and opinion and it was pretty interesting to watch all these weddings evolve and see pictures of the finished results. So many different snowflakes. My group of girls (the 09ers as we called ourselves) all agreed on one thing, though, that Jillian Michaels' 30 Day Shred video was amazing. I never did it back in the day, and in reality did absolutely no fitness routine to prepare for my wedding. I just did what I normally do (attempt to go to the gym when I could muster it). But I saw some before and after pictures of some girls who did the video and you could see a HUGE difference after 30 days. I remember a couple even did it for 60 days and it was amazing what one dvd and a simple change in diet (which is not part of the plan, but obviously smart if you're looking for real results) could do to a person in 2 months (don't believe me, click on this and see tons of pics).

I just got the DVD yesterday (but have started doing it since Monday) and oh my god this thing has kicked my ass. Holy crap I am sore. Can I stress that enough? Some of the exercises I was impressed with myself that I was able to do them and not feel tired (yay me for being in shape), but then the burn came and I started thinking to myself, "wait, didn't I already do work outs for these in my old routine? Why does this hurt so bad?!" Apparently because I'm not as strong as I think I am, or maybe because Jillian was sent on this Earth to torture us into leaner people?

Now you know I don't believe in diets, and I definitely don't think I'm fat, but I've noticed that some of my pants have been fitting a little bit tighter lately. I think it's the fact that we've had so many guests since May that we've been eating real food again. And by real food, I mean unhealthy food. Lots of burgers, mac and cheese, french toast, etc. I think my stomach is secretly from the south because I love fatty rich foods and put butter on everything. Nick has been feeling it too and constantly pokes at his spare tire (that is really just the size of a tricycle wheel, but you know there's no arguing about that with a guy). After having one last hurrah in LA (where we really didn't even eat that unhealthily) we decided it's time to be healthy again and have switched our diet back to being semi healthy semi poor. Which means, when we do spend money on something besides pasta, peanut butter, carnation instant breakfast, and yogurt, it'll be on healthy things like multi-grain bread, vegetables, chicken breast, and so on. But you're not stopping me from drinking wine and having the occasional ice cream when I want it.

So back to Jillian, I've been dying to try this DVD for forever so I caved and bought it on Monday from amazing for a SUPER cheap price (and yay for 2 day student prime shipping). But like most consumers I didn't want to wait 2 days I wanted it right then. So I did some Googling and found it online (click here). As per these directions, there's three work outs and you do each one for about 10 days. This video has all three workouts in succession. I planned to start early, but to "officially" start with Nick so I got a few extra days out of the deal. It was hard doing it with the computer because I too had to constantly move my laptop so I could see things and was super happy when the DVD came for the pure ease of it. But it was also nice to do the first few days on my own with a mirror near by so I could see and feel at the same time what the exercises looked like when I was doing them correctly. It's really easy to bend your back or your legs the wrong way without realizing it. And with a workout like this you need to do things the right way for the best results.

With this "diet" in place and a new DVD that we've both started, I'm hoping it'll make a difference for both of us. I just want to wear my pants comfortably (and for me it's always about being healthy. I need to keep my high cholesterol under control and start getting back into shape for when soccer starts next week), and Nick, I think he wants to turn into the guy from 300. Four days in I don't know if I really feel stronger, or if I just feel sore and *think* that means strong. Or maybe it's like that SNL skit "Clinique calls it burning, we just say that means it's working."

Loss 10 pounds in 5 weeks? Don't mind if I do!

Sorry for the lack of updates this past weekend. We're in heavy duty school mode right now, midterms, papers, quizzes, etc. so I'd expect the next 2 weeks to be a little bit slow on the entries. Real life comes first!

I am not really a believer in diets. I believe in eating healthy and exercising. I always joke with my friends that I exercise purely so I can eat as much junk food as I want. It's probably partially true, since I do have a sweet tooth. But a huge chunk of it is also wanting to keep in shape for soccer, keep my heart healthy, and keep my joints strong (soccer does a real number on you, even at 25 I've got way too many sports related injuries/aches/pains for my own good). That being said, I also don't think I need to loose any weight (I know Nick will kill me for this one because I constantly complain about my thighs and how I wish I could fit into my old jeans from right after a bad breakup. Obviously I was depressed and considering I don't think I'll ever be that depressed again, I'm not expecting to fit into any of those pants ever again, but I keep them around...it's a lot of money to waste!).

But all joking aside, most women probably don't need to lose weight and are what I call mind-fat. You're not fat, you just think you are. Women constantly think they need to loose 5-15 pounds. "If I could only drop that last 5, I'd be so much happier." And so they go through drastic steps to do so. Body cleansing, juice diets, and actual starvation. None of those things are healthy. And you do need carbs and fats (the healthy ones--not McDonald's and donuts). It's extremely unhealthy to cut out an entire food group like that. Just Google it for the many reasons why.

I would never endorse a diet, but I think this health plan that MSN has come up with is as close to I'll ever get to that. It's a way to loose a small amount of weight gradually so that you're not going through any drastic changes or pushing yourself too hard. They tell you to re-evaluate your food and activity level in baby steps, doing things week by week until you've made a lifestyle change that you can hopefully keep up with in the long term. I think of it more like 5 weeks to a healthier lifestyle, than 5 weeks to 10 pounds lighter. And I like how it makes you think about things, rather than just saying "cut out all of this or that." Do I use this "diet"? No, but when I start to look around at what I've been eating and how much I've not been moving around, sometimes I do use the steps so that I can get back to being healthy again.

Again, the key is a healthy lifestyle, not a number on a scale.